CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Akamai Foundation today announced that it will award three high school math students with scholarships for their placement in the recent U.S.A. Mathematical Olympiad. They are among the twelve USAMO winners who will be recognized at the forty-third USAMO awards ceremony to be held on June 2nd in Washington, D.C.

The Akamai Foundation, established in 2000 by Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM) and funded solely through donations from Akamai employees and individuals outside the company, promotes the pursuit of excellence in mathematics in grades K-12 to encourage America's next generation of technology innovators.

The Akamai Foundation will present Akamai Scholarships to the top three winners of this year's competition, the most prestigious math competition in the country for high school students. Joshua Brakensiek of Arizona College Prep-Erie, Chandler, Arizona will receive a $20,000 scholarship for first place. Zhouqun (Alex) Song of Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire and Evan Chen of Irvington High School in Fremont, California will each receive $12,500 in a tie for second place. These top three scorers are among the country's most talented mathematicians.

The USAMO provides a means of identifying and encouraging the most creative secondary mathematics students in the country with a six-question, nine-hour essay/proof examination conducted over two days. It serves to indicate the talent of those who may become leaders in the mathematical sciences of the next generation. The USAMO is part of a worldwide system of national mathematics competitions, a movement in which both educators and research mathematicians are engaged in recognizing and celebrating the imagination and resourcefulness of our youth.

In addition to providing scholarships to USAMO winners, the Akamai Foundation helped the MAA fund and send a team of four female mathematicians of school age to the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) held in Antalya, Turkey from April 10-16, 2014. The U.S. team took second place (behind Ukraine), earning two of the 11 gold medals.

"Innovation through math and math education have always been, and continue to be, at the heart of Akamai's mission," said Dr. Tom Leighton, CEO and co-founder, Akamai. "We congratulate this year's winners, as well as all of the participants in the USAMO and the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad. The Akamai Foundation is committed to helping promote mathematics education and to encouraging and inspiring the next generation of technology innovators and leaders."

"Students who qualify for the USAMO represent the highest level of mathematical achievement, and we are pleased to honor the 12 top-scoring students," said Michael Pearson, Executive Director of MAA. "MAA's American Mathematics Competitions program is the premier talent development and cultivation program in the U.S., and is an important part of MAA's effort to advance mathematics to benefit our nation's future. We are most appreciative of the Akamai Foundation's continued support of this important program."

About the MAAThe Mathematical Association of America is the largest professional society of college and university mathematics teachers in the world. The MAA's 15,000 members include two- and four-year college, university, and graduate school faculty, high school teachers, government and corporate workers, research mathematicians, as well as graduate and undergraduate students.

About the Akamai FoundationThe Akamai Foundation was established in 2000 by Akamai Technologies, Inc. and is funded solely by Akamai executives, its employees and individuals outside the company. The Akamai Foundation is dedicated to excellence in mathematics, with the aim of promoting math's importance and encouraging America's next generation of technology innovators.